Forest Department asks tribals to give up unlawful weapons in Tirupattur

Tirupattur division of Forest Department has requested tribals in Yelagiri and Jawadhu Hills within the district to voluntarily give up their unlawful country-made weapons by September 10.

Officials of the Forest Department stated that, in coordination with income officers and police, village heads within the hills have been roped in to persuade tribals, who have been in possession of country-made weapons, to give up them at a typical place like a village temple or panchayat workplace.

“The initiative can even assist these people who find themselves keen to give up unlawful weapons, however could possibly be reluctant as a consequence of worry of instances being filed in opposition to them. Under the initiative, the identification of the volunteers won’t be disclosed and no instances can be filed in opposition to them,” M Babu, forest vary officer (Ambur), instructed The Hindu. 

The initiative comes within the wake of a collection of country-made weapons seized by police in Gudiyatham and surrounding areas after police carried out shock checks based mostly on alerts since July. At current, the Forest Department doesn’t have any information on the whole variety of such country-made weapons within the hills. Based on alerts, Forest officers, in coordination with police, seize country-made weapons within the hills. Most weapons within the hills have been handed by generations by ancestors. As per police information, the district has 177 licensed weapons, which have been surrendered principally previous to elections.

Forest officers stated that earlier than independence, such possession of nation made weapons helped tribals to guard themselves from wild animals, and for looking functions. It helped them to move their produce to markets within the plains and return house safely. With higher roads and transport now, possession of arms is pointless, forest officers stated.